Astrid's Wish (14 page)

“Oh, stop it.” Astrid slapped at his arm. “You know exactly how gorgeous you are. I’m just jealous that others have shared this joy with you.” Astrid turned his head to the side, away from his.

“Angel, look at me.” Astrid slowly turned to face him. “I won’t lie. I have had other men and some women, but none of those encounters can even compare to what I share with you. You make me come so hard I see fireworks behind my eyelids. Just seeing you has my dick jumping to attention.” He traced his finger down Astrid’s nose. “I love you, Astrid.”

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“I love you, too, Klaus.” Astrid gifted him with a smile and moved in closer to burrow himself further into Klaus’s side. Klaus continued to caress Astrid’s back lightly until he drifted off to sleep.

As he watched his mate sleep, the events from earlier in the day played back through his head. He struggled with what to do. If they informed the council, he had no idea how they would react, and losing his mate wasn’t an option. So for now they would stay mum with the knowledge they had discovered, in order to keep Astrid safe.

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Astrid woke the next morning to an empty bed. The usual paralyzing fear of being abandoned didn’t plague him. Klaus loved him and would never leave him. After last night he would be a fool not to believe in his mate’s commitment.

Slowly but surely, Klaus tore down every wall he had built in an attempt to protect his heart. And the funny thing was, he wasn’t afraid. He craved all the love and attention Klaus rained upon him.

With all that love, there was no room for doubt.

Coming to live with Miles and the warriors had filled that void left by not having a family, but Klaus filled the deep void in his soul that only a lover could fill. Klaus loved him unconditionally, even after learning he was bred for evil purposes. It wasn’t his fault how he came into this world, but he would be forever grateful for having Klaus. The man loved without question and treated him like he was the most important thing in his world.

The rumbling in his stomach caused him to climb out of bed. He bypassed the shower, secretly hoping he could get Klaus to join him later for a wash down. Astrid couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he exited his room. Remembering their interlude the previous day in the spacious shower warmed him from the inside out.

“Hey, little man, what’s with the cheesy smile?” Miles asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“I know that look,” Trevor spoke up as he closed the refrigerator door and met Miles at the stove. “Someone got lucky last night.”

His cheeks burned with fire. He would never get used to Trevor’s openness to say whatever he thought, whenever he wanted. The man
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truly had no shame, but that was one of the reasons Astrid liked him so much.

“Dude, don’t even try to deny it. My room is right next to yours, and the sounds you two made last night…” Trevor blew out a breath.

“At first I thought he was hurting you. Then I heard you begging for more.” Trevor flashed Astrid a wink. “So I knew you were in good hands.”

“Honestly, do you ever think before you speak?” Miles turned with his hands on hips as he glared at Trevor.

Trevor gazed off into space as if contemplating the question.

Astrid giggled as he watched the two cousins bicker back and forth.

He walked to the cabinet and stretched on his tippy-toes to get a glass then went to pour himself some orange juice.

“So, little man,” Miles said over his shoulder, “how you feeling after everything you learned last night?”

Overall he felt great, better than great—spectacular. He had a family who loved him and a boyfriend who thought the world of him.

They all had his back and would never up and leave him. That was a feeling no one could take from him.

But learning he had been deceived and lied to burned like a hot poker straight to the gut. Discovering the woman who had raised him wasn’t his mother was actually a relief. But with that relief came sorrow. He had a mother, a true mother, who loved him. He had a mother who sacrificed herself to have him. Hot tears stung at the back of his eyelids for the loss of someone he would never meet.

“Hey, Astrid, you okay?”

He mentally shook away the dreary thoughts and smiled over at Miles. He would be okay. Life had finally found it acceptable to give him a break, but if he ever got the chance to render his own revenge toward the ones responsible for taking so much from him, not even the hand of god would be able to stop him.

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“I’m fine, Miley. What are you making for breakfast?” Astrid asked as he walked across the kitchen to stand between Trevor and Miles.

“Like you have to ask.” Trevor bumped his hip into Astrid’s, causing him to bump Miles.

“Chocolate-chip pancakes with a side of bacon?” Astrid squealed happily as he jumped from foot to foot. He couldn’t help it. Food got him excited.

“Of course.” Miles ruffled a hand through his hair, and Astrid squirmed away.

Times like this were some of his favorite. Spending time with his friends, joking and laughing, made him feel like a normal person. No one judged him for his past and didn’t treat him differently for it, either. He was an equal among the guys, and that was the best medicine that could cure his weary soul. Granted, at times he felt like they coddled him too much, but he understood the reasoning for it.

All the men in the household loved him and wanted nothing more than to keep him safe, so he didn’t mind their overprotectiveness.

Miles let him flip the pancakes as Trevor tended to the bacon. He stepped farther to the side to avoid being popped by the sizzling bacon grease. He concentrated on the pancakes, not wanting to drop any of the chocolaty goodness on the floor.

Astrid placed the last perfectly rounded pancake on the serving dish and smiled at his hard work. He wasn’t a cook by any means, but it made him feel good to contribute. Miles had set the table while he and Trevor finished making the breakfast.

He unplugged the griddle and grabbed the platter of hot cakes and went to the table, careful not to bump into anything on the way. They were just about ready to sit and eat when they heard a loud crash. He froze halfway to his seat. His pulse beat a rapid tempo, and by the looks of Miles’s and Trevor’s faces, they were just as disturbed by the noise.

“What was that?” Panic laced Trevor’s words.

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“No clue.” Miles stood up and slowly headed for the swinging door that led out into the dining room.

Little sparks of fear rippled along his spine, causing a cold sweat to break out across his shoulder blades. Something wasn’t right. The energy in the air had a black tinge to it. Astrid didn’t know how, but he sensed that the blackness had come for him.

“Miles, no!” He jumped from his chair and grabbed at Miles’s hand. “I have a bad feeling about this. Please stay in here. We can go the back way to Ben’s office.” He hated how his hands quivered, but danger lay beyond that door.

Another crash had all three of them jumping back a step. The sounds were getting louder and drawing near. Miles looked to the door then back to him. He nodded as if he had made a decision.

“Okay.” Miles grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the side door that led to the hallway.

Trevor stood close behind Astrid. He was sandwiched between the two vampires as they moved quietly out the door. Miles went first, peeking around the cracked door just slightly to see if anyone stood on the other side. When satisfied the coast was clear, he led Astrid and Trevor out the door. The sound of pounding feet and shouting heightened the closer to the front of the house they got. The hair on his arms stood up as he heard an earth-shattering shrill wrench through the house. Whoever it came from cried for their life. He just hoped it wasn’t someone they knew.

The hallway came to an end, and Miles held his hand up to stop them from moving any farther. Once again he peered around the corner to make sure the room was empty.

“Okay, guys, I don’t see anything. Astrid, stay…”

Miles’s words came to a halt as a hand reached around the corner and grabbed him. Trevor pushed Astrid behind him, bracing himself for a fight.

“Astrid, no matter what happens, run for the office.” Trevor gripped his arms tightly. “No matter what, don’t look back. Just run.”

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Trevor pushed him against the wall and gave one tight squeeze to his hand. Then he was gone. Trevor and Miles were vampires, so they could hold their own in a fight, but still, he worried for them. An unknown enemy was a dangerous enemy. They had no clue how many men were in the house, where exactly they were, and what type of paranormals they were dealing with.

He waited a second until he heard someone shout “run.” Taking the hint, he edged around the doorway. Miles and Trevor were fighting back-to-back with two very large men. His friends’ small statures were working to their advantage. They were able to move faster and jump higher, deflecting the meaty fists aimed at their heads.

Miles and Trevor had drawn the men’s attention in the other direction, giving him the opportunity to sneak out unseen. The fight went on, and he hated leaving them behind, but there was nothing he could do to help. He would be more of a liability than an asset.

He took off running across the room toward the hallway on the opposite side. Looking over his shoulder one last time, he wished his friends the best.

“I got you.”

He grunted as he ran into a solid wall where there shouldn’t have been one. He bounced off with such force he fell back a few feet, flat on his ass. When his bottom hit the floor, his upper body went backward from the momentum, and he smacked his head hard against the marble flooring. Flashing stars filled his vision, and he could taste the coppery tang of blood on his tongue.

As he lay splayed out on the ground, he slowly opened his eyes.

An average-looking man stood before him, but he wasn’t normal. The evil smile he bestowed upon him had two long fangs poking out from under his upper lip.

“Vampire,” he whispered as he crab-walked backward toward the wall.

“Good guess.” The man tilted his head to the side and sniffed the air. “Fairy?”

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He remained silent. If he didn’t answer, he couldn’t incriminate himself. He didn’t know what was happening, but he knew one thing for sure and that was he wasn’t going to give out any information to this guy.

“Come on, fairy.” The man bent down to grab his arm. He skidded along the wall and dodged the hand. “It will be a lot easier if you just come with me.” The man nudged his chin in the direction of the fighting foursome. “No one has to get hurt if you play nicely.”

“Astrid, no.”

Miles’s shout rang out across the room, causing his ears to ring and he turned toward his friend. Astrid watched as Miles yanked the man’s arm off he’d been fighting and tossed it to the ground. Miles’s then twisted the man’s head to the side until it broke free of his body.

It looked so easy, like picking a grape free from the vine. Astrid’s attention flew back to the man in front of him as he grabbed for Astrid’s arm. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash. Miles came charging full force toward them and knocked the man flat on his back.

Miles sat straddling the guy, hitting him in the face with everything he had.

“That the best you got?” The man laughed as each punch landed.

“I’m done playing.” With that, the man reached his hands up and pushed Miles off his chest.

Miles went flying across the room and landed with a thud as he hit the wall. As the man wiped the blood off his face, Astrid crawled to where Miles lay limp on the floor. He shook his friend’s arm, silently begging him to wake up.

The sickening sound of bone twisting against bone had him jerking his head in Trevor’s direction. The young vamp stood astride the large man, who he had pinned to the ground. He twisted the guy’s head clean off. Astrid sat in awe with his mouth hanging open at the sight. He never would have expected Miles or Trevor to have it in them to kill another person, paranormal or not.

“Hmm.”

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Astrid looked back down at Miles as he came to. He pulled him by the hand to his feet. The man who had just knocked Miles unconscious was getting to his feet as well, and they needed to get away and find help.

“Miles.” Trevor came to his aid and pulled Miles’s arm over his shoulders as they stumbled toward the nearest exit.

“Oh no you don’t, half breed,” the man snapped as he grabbed Astrid by the hair, flinging him across the room.

Trevor stood Miles up against the wall and charged the man. The man was expecting the attack and punched Trevor dead center in his chest. Trevor fell to the floor, gasping for breath. The man laughed bitterly as he walked toward him. He had an easy gait to his walk as if he knew he would be the victor no matter what obstacle got thrown in his path.

“What do you want?” Astrid mumbled. He was doing his best to circle around the man to get back to his friends.

“It’s not what I want.” The man paused as he tracked Astrid’s unsteady movements. “It’s what he wants.”

“Astrid,” Trevor gasped as he held out his hand for Astrid to take.

Astrid grabbed on to Trevor as they scooted backward away from the man coming toward them.

“Your friends can’t help you. They will all die in the end. You save them for nothing. When the coming begins, everyone will die.”

The man stalked closer.

“Astrid, dude, wish that fucker away,” Trevor said as they backed up against the wall where Miles stood.

“You think that will work?” Astrid asked as he grabbed ahold of Miles’s outstretched hand.

“It’s worth a shot.”

Uncertainty set like a fifty-pound weight on his shoulders. He had no clue the extent of his magic or if it were even possible to do as Trevor suggested. His wishes didn’t work on Klaus or Carter. How could he be for certain it would work on the bad guy coming at them?